Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
shrimp
versus
chicken leg
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in shrimp and chicken leg:
Chicken leg is high in calories and shrimp has 67% less calories than chicken leg - chicken leg has 214 calories per 100 grams and shrimp has 71 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, shrimp is much heavier in protein, heavier in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to chicken leg per calorie. Shrimp has a macronutrient ratio of 71:9:20 and for chicken leg, 31:0:69 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Shrimp | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 71% | 31% |
| Carbohydrates | 9% | ~ |
| Fat | 20% | 69% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Both chicken leg and shrimp are low in carbohydrates - chicken leg has 0.17g of total carbs per 100 grams and shrimp has 0.91g of carbohydrates.
Both chicken leg and shrimp are high in protein. Chicken leg has 20% more protein than shrimp - chicken leg has 16.4g of protein per 100 grams and shrimp has 13.6g of protein.
Shrimp has signficantly less saturated fat than chicken leg - chicken leg has 4.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and shrimp has 0.26g of saturated fat.
Both chicken leg and shrimp are low in trans fat - chicken leg has 0.06g of trans fat per 100 grams and shrimp has 0.02g of trans fat.
Chicken leg has 26% less cholesterol than shrimp - chicken leg has 93mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and shrimp has 126mg of cholesterol.
Chicken leg and shrimp contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - chicken leg has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and shrimp does not contain significant amounts.
Shrimp has 93% more Vitamin A than chicken leg - chicken leg has 28ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and shrimp has 54ug of Vitamin A.
Chicken leg and shrimp contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - chicken leg has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and shrimp has 2iu of Vitamin D.
Chicken leg and shrimp contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken leg has 0.22mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and shrimp has 1.3mg of Vitamin E.
Chicken leg and shrimp contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken leg has 2.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and shrimp has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
Chicken leg has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid, however, shrimp contains more folate. Both shrimp and chicken leg contain significant amounts of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
| Shrimp | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.02 MG | 0.073 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.015 MG | 0.141 MG |
| Niacin | 1.778 MG | 4.733 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.31 MG | 0.994 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.161 MG | 0.318 MG |
| Folate | 19 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.11 UG | 0.56 UG |
Shrimp is a great source of calcium and it has 500% more calcium than chicken leg - chicken leg has 9mg of calcium per 100 grams and shrimp has 54mg of calcium.
Chicken leg has 229% more iron than shrimp - chicken leg has 0.69mg of iron per 100 grams and shrimp has 0.21mg of iron.
Chicken leg is a great source of potassium and it has 80% more potassium than shrimp - chicken leg has 203mg of potassium per 100 grams and shrimp has 113mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken leg has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than shrimp per 100 grams, however, shrimp contains more dha and epa than chicken leg per 100 grams. Both shrimp and chicken leg contain significant amounts of DPA.
| Shrimp | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.006 G | 0.155 G |
| DHA | 0.07 G | 0.01 G |
| EPA | 0.068 G | 0.004 G |
| DPA | 0.006 G | 0.012 G |
| Total | 0.15 G | 0.181 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken leg has more linoleic acid than shrimp per 100 grams.
| Shrimp | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.006 G | 0.016 G |
| linoleic acid | 0.095 G | 2.987 G |
| Total | 0.101 G | 3.003 G |
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Shrimp (Crustaceans, shrimp, mixed species, raw (may contain additives to retain moisture)) and Chicken Leg (Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, raw) .
Shrimp g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chicken Leg g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||